1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a seal, the essential element of which consists of a stack of thin slabs that slide within reception slots.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is designed to span the gaps between pairs of stator sectors of a gas turbine engine: these components being subjected to a high degree of heating during operation, which produces expansions that are sufficiently great that one cannot construct a stator with contiguous sectors. Nevertheless the seal must be restored between the sectors of the stator, which define volumes subjected to different pressures, and notably the flow stream of the gases of the gas turbine engine.
The usual solution consists of hollowing out slots in the sectors separated by the gap and which form a continuation of one another and of inserting a slab of material in the slots and across the gap to span the latter. It is illustrated in many previous documents from which French Patents Nos. 2 452 590 and 2 597 921 will be mentioned in order to quote only designs from the assignee. Such seals allow gas leaks along the gaps to be reduced but even so progress is desirable in order to increase the efficiency of gas turbine engines.